A Dream Is A Wish
by LunarYamiDemon
Summary: Yugi is a servant who only wants to find someone who will care for him. Atem is a prince who wants to be loved for who he is. When an invitation for the ball is sent out, their dreams and wishes come true.
1. Chapter 1

A new fanfic!! I hope you like it!!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own YGO.

* * *

--Daily Life of a Mutou—

The sun's bright rays shone through the window and hit a certain lump in a small but comfortable bed. It reflected the pale, creamy skin of the boy and he groaned. Slightly opening his eyes due to the rays, he groaned and slowly got up from the softness of his pillow, rubbing one of his eyes to get the sleep out. Opening his eyes revealed wide amethyst eyes full of kindness, love, and most of all innocence. He yawned and reluctantly left the warmth that his blankets provided for his torso and legs. His bare feet touched the cold floor and immediately the boy thought of going back under the warm covers. His light blue pajamas were loose on his small, fragile body and his soft but wild tri-colored hair was a bit messed up. He slowly walked over to the wash bin and lightly splashed his face with the cold water to make himself more alert and awake for the daily works. He sighed, fully awake and wiping his face with a creamy towel.

_Chirp_

The boy looked over to the window and smiled brightly that any person, be it boy or girl, could blush and faint over. He walked over to the window and held out his index finger. The tiny blue critter flew up onto his finger and chirped. He slightly chuckled lightly.

"Morning to you to Akari" he called the small critter. His voice was sweet and soft, full of carefree. Akari chirped.

"Alright, but first let me get ready before their 'royal highness' wakes up" he said with a tint of sarcasm. Akari laughed in its own way. After being fully clothed in his daily clothes, he closed the door and began to make his way down the stairs, Akari perched on his shoulder. He reached the bottom and began to make his way to the kitchen. After entering through the kitchen door, Akari flew off of the boy's shoulder and perched on the table and chirped softly.

"Hold on Akari" the boy said as he went to grab the little bird's breakfast. He reached in and took a tiny handful and gave it to Akari, who ate happily.

"Now to make their royal breakfast" he sighed and began his daily routine. As soon as he finished putting the last cup and saucer on the serving plate, a loud scream was heard.

"YUGI!!!!"

The boy, Yugi, cringed a bit. He quickly got the three serving plates onto his hands and head and slowly walked out of the kitchen. After he reached the top of the stairs, he set one of the plates down and took the one on top of his head. The first room that he entered was his oldest stepsister, Anzu. She had short brown hair and blue eyes. Though she was popular, she wasn't exactly the nice and polite one. In fact she was the opposite. Around other people, she puts on an act and begins to act seductive to some guys that she prefers. However, when at home, her true nature shows. She's stubborn, obnoxious, demanding, spoiled and did I mention loud?

"Good morning Anzu…How are you feeling today?" Yugi said rather forcefully.

"Hmph. About time you got here" Anzu said.

"Do my laundry and it better be spotless!"

"Yes, Anzu" he said and closed the door. He left the laundry basket on the ground and entered into his older stepsister's room, Mai. She had long blonde locks and dark amethyst eyes. Most people mistake her for being his birth sister by their eyes. However, her eyes were a bit darker than Yugi's. Besides their eyes, Mai was much like her sister. She was also stubborn, obnoxious, demanding, spoiled and just as loud.

"Good morning Mai" he greeted.

"It would've been good if you came earlier" Mai said.

"Pick up my laundry and wash so I don't see any dirty marks on it!"

"Yes Mai" he said and closed the door. He set the bag down and picked up the last serving plate. He went to his grandpa's room and opened the door.

"Good morning Grandpa" he greeted.

"Oh, good morning Yugi!" his grandfather smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Yugi asked as he set the plate on the table.

"I feel great!" his grandfather laughed and started to stretch.

"Ow! My back!!" he howled. Yugi sighed.

"I'm fine Yugi…You may go now" Solomon said as he lay back in his bed. Yugi nodded and left. His grandfather rarely gave him anything to do. Yugi took the two laundry baskets and went down the stairs.

_Chirp_

Yugi set the baskets down and went into the kitchen. Akari was in the same place. Yugi sighed.

"I wonder how much longer I have to keep doing this…" he muttered. Akari chirped sorrowfully. Yugi looked at a window and went over. He perched his head on his hands as he looked dreamily at the castle.

"I wonder what the castle life is like…" he murmured.


	2. Chapter 2

The second chapter!!! I'm sooooo sorry I haven't updated sooner!!! I've been soo busy lately!!! I hope you like it!!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own YGO.

* * *

--Daily Life of the Royal Family Member…Almost—

At the castle, all was silent and peaceful. Doves cooed near a window.

"I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!!!!"

Shards of glass flew out as an object, which looked like a crown, was thrown out. The doves immediately took flight into the sky.

Inside the room, a man roughly sat down on his chair. Another man, who looked a bit older, was standing next to him.

"Brother, please" he pleaded. The other man sighed.

"Oh Akunadin…I just can't take this anymore" he said.

"Please don't stress yourself brother…The prince will find a…wife as soon as he can…" the man, Akunadin, cautiously said. The other man sighed and lay back in his chair, his hand resting on his forehead and covering his eyes.

"I just…I just don't know what to do anymore…He's…He's refused every girl that he has seen…I don't know what he wants anymore…" he wearily said. Akunadin was silent and slightly sweating.

"Is something the matter Akunadin?" the man asked. Akunadin gulped, his hood shadowing his eyes.

"N-Nothing at all brother" he quickly said, sweating. His brother looked suspiciously at him.

"What are you hiding Akunadin?" he asked. Akunadin twitched.

"I'm not hiding anything king Aknamkanon!! What made you think of that dear brother?" he shakily said.

"For one you are sweating. Another you keep twitching. And you never call me your 'dear brother'" the king, Aknamkanon, stated. Akunadin sighed, his shoulder sagging a bit, for he could not hold it much longer.

"Well…I don't think I can hide this from you anymore longer…Besides sooner or later you're going to know anyways…" he sighed.

"What information would that be?" Aknamkanon asked. Akunadin gulped.

"Well…the reason that your son has refused every girl is because he doesn't want a wife…" he slowly said. Aknamkanon was confused.

"What do you mean Akunadin?? He needs to find a wife in order to be king after me…" Aknamkanon cautiously said.

"W-Well…that's the problem…" Akunadin stuttered.

"He doesn't want a wife…He wants a…"

* * *

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT??!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" 

Akunadin's hood was off and his long gray hair went back as his brother shouted. When he was done, he smoothed his hair down and put his hood back over his head. Aknamkanon wearily sighed, leaned back into his chair, and placed his hand over his eyes.

"You knew of this all along?" he asked after a silence. Akunadin nodded. Aknamkanon sighed.

"And I suppose Seto was in this as well?"

"W-Well…he kind of is…but that the fact that he was in this was also because…" he didn't need to finish his sentence. Aknamkanon gaped at him.

"Are you serious? Both of our sons…?" His head hung low, gloomed.

"How are we going to have an heir?" Akunadin shrugged.

"Who knows, brother…Who knows…"

* * *

A young boy yawned. His wild tri-colored hair was neatly combed though it did him no good since his hair was spiky and always neat and a golden crown was rested across his forehead with an eye in the center, signaling that he was the prince. He opened his tired and bored dark amethyst eyes and propped his head onto one of his tanned hands. Another boy around his age was sitting on the bed next to him. His loose brown hair flew left and right as he shook his head. He looked at him with his icy cold blue eyes. His headpiece was resting on a table nearby. He sighed. 

"Seto…I'm bored" the prince yawned. The other kid, Seto, sighed.

"I know that because that's the 100th time you've said that in my face!" he growled and sighed.

"You think father knows about it now? Considering how the palace shook after hearing his roar…" the prince said.

"That would probably be the only thing that he'd roar at" Seto said and leaned against a pillow. The prince was laying on his stomach, propping his head on one of his hand, his other hand dangling at the side of the bed. The prince sighed. They heard a light knock on the door.

"Come in" the prince called. The door opened and one of the six high priests came in. His headpiece had a circle in the middle and two pieces at the side, holding the circle in place. A short curtain of white cloth ran down to his shoulders from his headpiece. Behind his headpiece, he had soft, short light brown hair. He had blue eyes that contained no readings of emotion. He wore…Must I describe it? He bowed.

"My prince…You wished to see me?" he inquired.

"Yes…Mahado, stand up…I told you to not do any of those stuff when there is no one around!" he slightly scowled. Mahado bowed again.

"My apologies, your highness…" he said.

"Atem" Mahado looked up, slightly confused.

"I told you to call me Atem!" the prince said. Mahado bowed again.

"My apologies…Atem" Mahado said. Atem smiled.

"Hey!! Let's go meet Mana!!" he suggested. Seto snapped his head to his cousin's direction.

"Say what?!!!! I am not meeting that stupid, idiotic, bubbly, happy-go-lucky, amateur magician girl!!!!" he yelled. Atem frowned.

"Why do you always call her names?" Atem asked, noticing the slight twitch in Mahado when Seto remarked at his student yet his face still read no expression. Seto slightly glared at his cousin.

"Cause I want to…Besides it fits her **perfectly**…" he said. Atem rolled his eyes.

"Whatever…Hey Mahado! Where's Mana?"

"I would think she had skipped my classes and gone into hiding again" Mahado answered. Atem grinned.

"Then let's go find her!"


	3. Chapter 3

A new chapter!!! Yay!!! I'm soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry that I haven't updated in such a long time!!!!! High school, stack of homework, and lack of sleep are taking its toll on me!! So please try to be patient while I type the others!! It's going to take a while for me to finish!! I hope you enjoy this part!!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own YGO. Mahado's new look belongs to me.

* * *

--Meeting Mana and Going Into the Town—

"Mana!! Mana!!! Where is she?! Mana!!!!!!!!!" Atem called. The three had been looking for Mahado's apprentice a while ago and so far they had no such luck. Seto sighed in frustration.

"Atem, we have been at this for at least 2 hours already!! Give it a break!" he sighed. Atem, ignoring Seto, still continued to search for Mana. Mahado was silent. He went over to a rather large vase sitting near a pillar. The vase was big enough to hide two people. Seto and Atem watched Mahado. A few seconds of silence passed and Mahado, without using his hands which were behind his back, knocked the vase down. Seto looked alarm. Before the vase could hit the ground, Mahado interfered its fall with his foot near the very edge of where the vase's curve starts to edge in. At the same time, a bit of hair popped out. Atem blinked in reorganization.

"Mana?" he asked. His answer was a head popping out of the vase.

"Atem? Oh good it's just…you…" she blinked. Seto was with Atem and Atem was across from her. So who was it that stopped her fall? The girl, Mana, gulped and slowly looked into the face of her master, the one who is currently teaching her magic. Mana laughed nervously. Mahado still showed no emotion.

"Are you ready to come out of the vase, apprentice?" he asked. Mana nodded and quickly got out before Mahado could quickly lift it up back to its original position. Mana sighed.

"That was a close one…" she muttered.

"I'm afraid not, apprentice" Mahado said, striding to where his prince was. "As punishment, you will be working twice as hard and long."

Mana groaned. Seto smirked.

"Serves you right for skipping…amateur" he insulted. Mana pouted at him and took out her wand.

"Amateur?!! I'll show you who's amateur Mr. All-Cool-Looking!" she pointed her wand at him and the jewel orb in the front started to glow a pink color. Mana started to chant. Mahado sighed, shaking his head for his apprentice is still not good at magic. In fact, she still had a long way to go before she can even control it. The orb glowed brightly and there was a bright flash that Atem covered his eyes. The flash disappeared and Atem looked to see what had happened. Mana smiled triumphantly, oblivious as to what she had done.

"Well now…still think I'm an amateur?"

"Actually…yes I do" Seto replied. Mana angrily stared at him and pouted.

"Why's that?!" An 'ahem' was heard and the three looked at Mahado. Mana blushed bright red at her work. Atem's eyes were wide and amused. Seto was just himself but was also in awe on the inside. Apparently what Mana had done was "accidentally" bestowed upon Mahado rather than Seto. Mahado's headpiece was on the ground for some odd reason so they could clearly see what Mana had done to Mahado. Mahado's hair had grown longer, probably up to his butt. Instead of his normal walnut hair, it was gleaming silver that seemed to sparkle under the sun and glow white. His slightly tanned skin had turned slightly pale so his skin was both tanned and pale blended together. In other words, he looked and was totally hot if there were any other girls around. Mahado seemed to be a bit annoyed by this "sudden change." Mana looked like she was on the verge of fainting.

"Perhaps you should stop drooling and practice on your magic" he said, still looking quite annoyed. Mana turned even redder. His smooth and rich voice sounded so hot and matched his appearance right now. Mahado sighed, took out his wand, and changed himself back to his original appearance: his silver hair gone and replace with his own light, shoulder-length chocolate brown hair and his skin to his own color. He took his headpiece from the ground, dusted the dirt off, and placed it back on his head. Mana got over her dreaminess and looked away in embarrassment. Seto was the first to break this uneasy silence.

"So…why **were** you hiding in the vase?" he asked, smirking. Mana glared at him.

"Hiding of course, what did you think idiot?" Seto glared at her.

"Look who's talking, amateur" he remarked. Mana ignored him. Then she got a brilliant idea, in her opinion.

"Hey Atem? You're bored right?" Mana asked, turning to the young prince. Atem nodded, noticing where this is going.

"Then let's go into town! I heard that today is market day so it might be crowded and there are plenty of things to see!" Mana suggested enthusiastically.

"NO!!!!" Seto and Mahado shouted at the same time. Atem and Mana slightly cowered from their shout.

"Why not?" Mana whined.

"Because, apprentice, my prince is the next heir to the throne and if something should ever happen to him, then we, the six priests, cannot help him outside the castle" Mahado explained.

"Plus, he's not supposed to go beyond the castle walls" Seto added. Atem pouted.

"Seto! I'm old enough to take care of myself even outside the castle walls! And the castle is so boooooooooooooooooring!!!! Let me take a break for once! Besides there's nothing for me to do here!" he complained. Seto shook in frustration. The two young friends turned to Mahado. Mahado slightly took a small step back up.

"Please Mahado?" the two begged, having big, teary-eyed chibi eyes. One of Mahado's thin eyebrows rose up.

"Absolutely not my prince" he stated. The two young ones pouted.

"Why?!!"

"Because, if you were to be in danger, I would not be there to help you and it is my duty and responsibility to aid you, my prince" he explained.

"But can't you come with us?" Atem asked. Mahado was silent for a while.

"Please sensei? Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty please? I promise to study and practice magic even more" Mana tried her big, puppy eyes on her teacher. Mahado's eye twitched. Oh, how he was going to be in a big mess.

"Just this once apprentice" he sighed, defeated.

"YAY!" Atem and Mana shouted and high-fived each other. Seto started to walk away.

"Well, have fun you three. I have some business to atte-" Mahado grabbed Seto by his clothes.

"If I'm going with my apprentice and prince, you're coming with me" Mahado said. Seto groaned.

* * *

"Grandpa, I'm going out to buy more food" Yugi said as he exited the house. His grandpa was outside, sweeping the front door. 

"Ok Yugi, remember watch out for thieves and come back before it gets late!" he called as Yugi went farther and into the town.

The town was bustling everywhere and very crowded, considering it was market day. People were here and there at every store, buying this and that. Yugi walked among the crowds, a small basket in his hand, looking at the different stores as he went along. He smiled as he spotted something, or rather someone.

"Ryou!! Over here!!!!" Yugi shouted to the white-haired boy, waving at him. The boy turned around and smiled as he saw one of his friends. He waved back and Yugi came over.

"Where are the others?" he questioned as he looked around.

"They're at the usual spot, probably waiting for us" Ryou slightly smiled.

"Then let's go and meet them!" Yugi smiled and dragged Ryou.

* * *

In a dark alley, two shadowy figures laid against the walls of two stores, one on one side, the other person on the other. Light showed on one of the walls but it did not hit the person. One of them growled softly. 

"Where are those two?! They should've been here ages ago!!" The other person sighed.

"Jeez…calm down hot stuff…I'm sure they're coming right now" his voice had a slight accent.

"Marik!! Jonouchi!! Sorry we're late!" the two turned their heads and saw their two best friends running over. One of them had tri-colored spiky hair and the other had snow white hair. One of the shadowy figures grinned.

"Yug'!! Ryou!!" He locked Yugi's head in a headlock.

"Man where ya guys been?! Marik over there was just about to piss in anger!" Jonouchi joked. Marik glared at him.

"I was not!!! I was just annoyed that they were late!!" he said as he stepped into the light.

He had sun-kissed tanned skin in contrast to his light sun-kissed pale blonde hair. What stood out most were his lavender eyes full of mischief and loyalty. Jou had messy blonde hair and honey golden brown eyes that were full of loyalty and trust. Ryou was probably the most out of place out of the four. He had white hair that compared to the paleness of his skin. He had warm chocolate eyes that were full of love and kindness. His fragile body seemed like it would break down when one touches it. All four shared the same thing: a hard life. They also yearned for the same thing that was out of reach for them: a loved one that can make a difference for them.

"So how's ya gramps Yug'?" Jou asked as the four sat down in the alley.

"He's doing fine as usual…How about Serenity?"

"Well…she's ok I guess…We still send letters to each other but…her writing seemed to be a bit messier lately…" The three looked at him in concern. They all knew how much Serenity, his young sister, meant to him.

"Is she ok?" Ryou asked softly. Out of the four, his voice would be the softest one.

"I don't know…she hasn't written anything about it when I asked her…All she's written is 'Don't worry about it, it'll pass shortly' But I guess I'll have to trust her on this one" Jou grinned.

"Well, Ishizu's doing fine I guess…She doesn't write much…Because she's a high priestess, she can't visit much so I can't say much about her…" Marik rested his head against his interlinked hands.

"Amane is doing ok…Father is still not around a lot…So I guess you could say it's the same…" Ryou said.

"Well at least you guys have it off easy…I'm stuck with two spoiled and bossy princesses" Yugi said sarcastically, leaning against the wall.

"Have it off easy? I think dat would be Ryou…At least ya don't have a drunken abusive father around" Jou said.

"Same here, except the old geezer's not drunk…A bit abusive I must admit though" Marik said.

"It's not like I have it easy either…I have to care for the house and you know how Amane gets sick easily…And with Father not being around, I'm almost like the mother…" The four teenage young ones sighed simultaneously.

"Do you think palace life is better than this?" Yugi asked.

"Probably better than ours at least" Marik said.

"But doesn't the prince have it harder? And servants too" Ryou said.

"Hey, could it be any worse dan ours?" Jou asked.

"I'll catch up with you guys later. I've got to do some grocery shopping" Yugi stood up and went out into the big crowd.

* * *

Atem looked at everything in amazement. He had never seen so many people in one area, having spent his life locked up in the palace. There were so many things to see! Everywhere, he stared with excitement. Seto sighed. Mahado was just himself. They had dressed themselves in peasant clothes. Mana needed little changing. Atem had all his ornaments and his crown taken off and replaced his palace clothes with everyday peasant clothes. Seto just had to change clothes and his Millennium Rod was hidden from sight. Mahado had also changed clothes, didn't wear his head piece and his Millennium Ring was under his shirt. Mana didn't need to really change clothes but her wand was out of sight. Atem was surprised that no one even noticed that he, the prince, stood out of place. 

"BTW, where do those two live?" he turned his head around to look at the two priests. Mana was standing next to him.

"Why are you asking us? We've never been into town before" Seto slightly glared at him as if it were the obvious answer.

"Hey Yugi!" Atem turned to see a kind looking man waving at him. He looked at his sides, and then pointed to himself as if asking 'Are you talking to me?' The man laughed heartily.

"You never cease to amaze kiddo! Say, have you grown? You seem a bit taller than when I last saw you…" he said, looking him up and down (get your mind out of the gutters!!!) He narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. Atem slightly took a step back, nervous. Seto looked ready to massacre a village. Mahado had to restrain Seto so that he wouldn't murder anyone.

"You seem to look different…You have more gold in your hair and your eyes seemed to be a bit darker…Are you feeling ok?" the man asked. Atem was nervous.

"Um…I'm very sorry sir…but I think you've confused me with someone else" he said politely. The man laughed heartily again.

"My mistake! It's just that you look so much like a kid that I know! I can see now that you're not Yugi!! His voice is not that deep and sounds much softer" the man smiled apologetically.

"But it was nice to meet you!!" he said. Atem slightly smiled and nodded as he walked away from the booth. At the same time, a smaller identical prince had come to the booth.

"Hey Akhet!!" Yugi greeted. Akhet looked over his shoulder and he had a shocked expression.

"Why Yugi!! Don't give me a heart attack!!! I could have sworn you just left!!" Yugi had a confused look.

"What do you mean? I just got here" he said. Akhet looked thoughtful and then he looked like he remembered something.

"Oh, that's right!! It was another young man that left…Did you know he was your look alike?" he softly asked. Yugi looked shocked.

"A-A look alike? Me??" Yugi pointed to himself. Akhet nodded.

"Th-That can't be possible…There's no way someone can look like me…" Yugi said.

"Well…he was very different from you in a lot of ways…If you don't believe me, then you should wander around the town and you'll probably see him…I even mistaked him for you! He looked so much like you until I got a closer look at him…So, the usual?" Akhet grinned. Yugi smiled.

"Yes please."

* * *

"How dare he do that to the prince!! I should behead him when I get back to the castle!!" Seto had kept mumbling colorful and kind things after Atem left the booth. The other three sweated. 

"Well someone's cheery today…" Mana said and Seto glared daggers at her.

"Relax Seto" Atem said. "He just mixed me with someone else; it's not a big deal…"

'Still I wonder how he could have confused me with this…Yugi boy…There's no way someone could look like me…' he thought.

"Besides, remember, we're in the town so we have to keep low…You can't get mad at every little thing Seto…People make mistakes" Atem looked at the still glowering Millennium Rod holder.

"Better not make a scene Seto…" Mana joked. Seto gave her a death glare. Atem tried to conceal his laughter but was failing miserably. Even Mahado chuckled a bit. Atem looked forward and blinked. In front of him, he saw a flash of silver-white-light purple hair and a bit of red cloth before it disappeared into the mob of people. He blinked again and grinned.

* * *

A tall figure was leaning against a wall in the shadows (déjà vu anyone?), waiting for the expected person to come here. Apparently, the person was late. The shadow figure sighed, frustrated. 

"Yo! Mariku!!" The figure turned to see his rather late friend slightly running over. His friend had short spiky silver-white-light purple hair that reached to his shoulders. He wore what looked like a red jacket that had a white hood in the back and was opened so he could see the man's well-toned and tanned chest and stomach. He wore a dark blue tunic that almost reached to his knees. He had a scar under his right eye with two small slashes through the long one on his handsome and masculine face. He had narrow grey-blue-obsidian eyes and the slightest hint of a smirk was graced on his handsome face. The figure, Mariku, glared at him.

"You're late……..again" he hissed, apparently annoyed when his friend was next to him. He smirked and shrugged his shoulders casually.

"So?" Mariku narrowed his eyes.

"You know you're always supposed to be here at least at the expected time Bakura" The said man rolled his eyes.

"Jeez…you make it sound like it's a job we're taking from some 'acquaintances'…Besides, the King of Thieves should always make a late entry" Bakura grinned and slightly posed. His head was in one of his hands as that elbow was against the wall and his other hand on his hip that was slightly bent out. Mariku snorted. Apparently, he thought the pose was stupid and made him looked like some wannabe model that was posing for the audience or a slut who was at the door of a hotel greeting her man or some other dude.

"King of Thieves my ass…" Bakura glared at him.

"Better than you at least" Mariku rolled his eyes.

"Pshh…As if…We work together, dumbass" he remarked. Bakura stuck his tongue at Mariku, childish if you ask him.

"Why do you keep standing in the dark? Get your ass out and feel Ra touch your skin!" Mariku grumbled but nonetheless he stepped out only to be met with Ra's warmth. Bakura looked at him. Mariku had light sun-kissed blonde hair that was a bit spiky yet it went straight down and reached a bit past his shoulder. Like himself, Mariku was also tanned, maybe a bit darker than him. He wore a black sleeveless shirt that showed his muscular arms that had gold jewelry. He had two gold armlets and had what looked like gold bands that reached halfway from his elbow on each wrist. He wore dark khaki pants and black shoes. He had a long dark cape to match his shirt. His narrow dark lavender eyes were outlined on the bottom with kohl on his rather attractive and masculine face. He had gold earrings that were mostly hidden by his long and outstretched bangs. Bakura smirked.

"Still going with the shadows and the dark side ne?" he asked slyly. Mariku scoffed.

"Like you aren't" he countered.

"Least I don't wear dark clothes all the time" Bakura smirked.

"You guys bickering like an old couple again?" Both guys turned sharply to the owner of the voice. The said figure was standing in the shadows.

"Who are you?" growled Bakura. Mariku narrowed his eyes. The figure feigned shock, placing his hand on his chest as if he had been stabbed.

"Why…I'm hurt…Don't you two know your own brother?" he asked, pretending to feel sad. Mariku rolled his eyes, knowing who it is. Bakura scoffed, folding his arms in front of his exposed chest.

"Bullshit…We don't have a brother…Get your ass out of the darkness already" he said. The man stepped out to reveal their last friend. He had wild tri-colored hair with a few golden blonde sticking the same way, upward like a lightning bolt. He had gold bangs that revealed his tanned handsome and attractive face. He had narrow dark amethyst eyes and a smirk graced his face.

"Well if it isn't his _royal highness_ coming to pay the thieves a visit" Bakura said, smirking. Atem glared at him.

"Watch your mouth tomb robber, I **am **the prince after all" he said. Bakura did a mock bow.

"Most very sorry, **highness**, please accept my apologies" he mocked, smirking at the prince. Atem rolled his eyes.

"Dumbass…"

"No shit" Mariku smirked. Bakura glared daggers at him.

"Hey! Whose side are you on?!"

"No one's" Mariku slightly smirk, eyes filled with amusement. Turning to Atem, he asked something.

"So, what made you decide to jump out of the window and visit us?" Atem shrugged.

"Oh, I was just walking around the town and I saw a bit of Bakura's details so I followed him…I almost lost him too" he explained. Mariku and Bakura looked at him as if he had sprouted wings, a tail and small horns.

"What?!" he asked nervously.

"Walking around town?" Mariku repeated as if he had heard wrong. Atem nodded.

"FYI princes don't walk around town…hell they don't come out at all unless there's a special reason" Bakura said, still staring at Atem. Atem shrugged again.

"You know how I get bored…" he said.

"Yea but still…you rarely visit us…It's mostly us that visit you" Mariku said.

"Well, Mana and I finally convinced Seto and Mahado to let us go to town and here we are" Atem said, indicating his clothes.

"You mean the others are with you?" Bakura asked. Atem nodded.

"But I think I lost them because I was following you" he said.

"It would seem that way…" Mariku said.

"Where do you guys live?" Atem asked. Suddenly Bakura eyed him warily, looking suspicious.

"Why? Are you going to steal my precious babies? You are aren't you? Never!! I'll never show you!!! I won't let you take them back!!" Bakura growled. Both Mariku and Atem sweated.

"What the hell Bakura…I just want to know where you guys live so if I need you then I can find you at home unless if you're out on a 'job'…" Atem said.

"Whatever…Follow me" Mariku said and led the way.

* * *

The trio arrived at the two thieves' home. It was only one story seeing as how they were thieves and don't get much money. 

"Great, you know where we live, now shoo!!" Bakura said. Atem sweated.

"Dude, chill!" he said.

"You know how possessive he is" Mariku said, shaking his head and making his bangs sway back and forth. Bakura glared at him.

"Am not" Mariku smirked.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked.

"Both of you shut up before all hell breaks loose" Atem said. Both thieves glared at him.

"Shut up" Bakura glared. Atem smirked and crossed his arms and leaned against a wall.

"What? I'm only speaking the truth" he said.

"Bullshit" Mariku said, looking at him. Atem placed a hand on his chest and looked sad.

"Why Mariku! I'm shocked and **heart**broken" he emphasized on 'heart'. "You wouldn't think I'd **lie** now would you?" Mariku rolled his eyes and smirked. He folded his arms and leaned against the wall of the house, looking at Atem.

"Actually…I do think you would lie…And I highly doubt you're really heartbroken" he said. Atem looked sad.

"Why Mariku, I am heartbroken…How could I not? And I would **never** lie to you" he said. Bakura smirked.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked. Atem looked at him.

"Of course I'm sure" he said.

"Now **that's** bullshit right there" Bakura said. Atem smirked.

"Then tell me tomb robber…Name one time that I have lied to you guys" he said. Bakura opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. Atem raised a slim eyebrow, his smirk never leaving his tanned face.

"I'm waiting Bakura…" he taunted. Bakura started to sweat.

"G-Give me a second" he nervously said.

"I should say tomb robber…I don't think it should take you that long now can it?" Atem taunted even more, still smirking. Mariku slightly smirked, filled with amusement.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say that Atem won this" he said. Bakura glared at him.

"Shut up!!!" Atem laughed as Mariku snickered. Bakura huffed. This was going to be a looooooooooooong day.

* * *

Yugi walked through the crowd of people. He was almost finished shopping, probably needed one or two more items and then he was done. He sighed. 

'When I'm done with the shopping I can do anything I want…But…I have to go home…Back to the only place that I can call home…and what's left of my family' he thought the last part bitterly. 'Their royal princesses are probably going to have more chores for me to do…I never have free time…Grandpa says that I can but…' Yugi sniffed. He sighed. 'If only he was here…then I can have someone that I can talk to…The others probably went home already…'

"Atem!!" Yugi perked and looked to see two-no three people running towards him.

'Atem??' Yugi thought confusedly when the three were right in front of him. The one with brown locks and icy blue eyes glared at him. Yugi shivered under his gaze, his wide amethyst eyes staring fearfully at the man.

"By Ra Atem!! Going off like that and then ditching us!! Dear Horus WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!!" Yugi flinched and tears welled up in his closed eyes. The girl next to the man blinked and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Yugi flinched.

"Hey Atem are you ok?? Look what you did Seto!! You made him cry!!" the girl glared at the said man. Seto scoffed.

"Please…he's faking it" he said. Yugi looked at the two.

"U-Um…I think y-you have the wrong person…" the two people stared at him.

"What the hell are you talking about? Quit the act already" Seto said. The last person blinked.

"…Yugi?" Yugi looked at the third person, the second male. He blinked and his eyes widened. Instantly he was hugging the man's torso.

"Mahado!!!!" he exclaimed. Mahado chuckled.

"You still have not changed my friend" he said as he hugged the small figure back. Yugi buried his face into his clothes.

"It really is you!!! I missed you soo much!!" he exclaimed.

"I missed you as well" Mahado slightly smiled. He gently took Yugi's shoulders and pulled the boy off his waist and crouched so he was eye level with the innocent boy.

"You haven't changed a bit my little friend" Yugi pouted cutely.

"I am not little!!" Mahado chuckled.

"I'd say the height to my hips is little" Yugi turned slightly red.

"I am NOT little!! And I'm not at your hip height!!! I'm at least at your stomach level!!" he complained.

"That's still little I'm afraid" Mahado chuckled as Yugi pouted.

"Meanie…"" he muttered. Mahado raised an eyebrow.

"You do realize I heard that right?" Yugi turned away. Mahado chuckled and stood up. He looked at the two whose jaws had dropped to the ground literally, eyes wide that it looked like it was going to pop out of its sockets. Mahado raised a brow.

"Is there a problem you two?" he asked. Yugi immediately came back to reality and fearfully hid behind Mahado. Seto was the first to snap out of it.

"What the hell Mahado?!!! Why are you acting like you knew him a long time?!! Isn't that Atem?" he asked.

"If you have not heard properly, Seto, his name is Yugi" Mahado said.

"And if you look closely you can see he is not Atem…As usual I am the first to notice these differences" Seto glared at him and looked at the small boy. Yugi cowered behind Mahado.

"The boy does seem to be a bit too short…and his eyes are much wider and brighter…his skin is a bit pale and there aren't as much gold in his hair…" Seto observed.

"Yugi right? I'm Mana, Mahado's apprentice! I hope we can be good friends!!" Mana smiled and stuck her hand out. Yugi hesitantly shook her hand.

"Don't worry Yugi. She's perfectly harmless unless if it deals with magic…I must warn you that she is a bit of a klutz though…" Mahado said. Mana pouted.

"Mahado!!!" she whined.

"All you need to look out for is this glowering person over here" Mahado jerked his head to Seto who glared at him.

"Don't worry! I won't let that big meanie over there harm you" Mana said and Seto's glare turned more malicious.

"Mana?"

"Hm?"

"Shut up" Seto whispered dangerously. Mana stuck her tongue at him childishly. Mahado sighed.

"What are you doing in town Mahado?" Yugi asked.

"My prince and my apprentice wanted to…" he said wearily.

"Where's the prince then?" Yugi asked. Mahado sighed.

"That's the thing…We lost him in the crowds after he ran off…We were looking for him when Seto spotted you and assumed that you were Atem" he said.

"I didn't think we would meet someone that looked exactly like the mirror of my cousin" Seto said.

"Do you know a place where we could talk more?" Mahado asked. Yugi nodded.

"My house…Come on…I'm almost done with the shopping so please wait for a bit more" Yugi said and began to walk again. Mahado blinked.

"Shopping? When did you start to buy groceries Yugi?" he asked as he and the others followed the small boy. Mahado noticed his friend's depressed look.

"I'll tell you later" Yugi gave him a small smile but being Mahado, he knew that behind that smile was grief and sadness. What had happened to his friend all these years?


	4. Chapter 4

I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO GET OUT! I just sorta had writer's block cause I didn't know how to end it and it just kept going and going and I didn't know where to stop it. I am so sorry I took so long to update this! No, I'm not abandoning this fic ok.

I just now noticed I did not do a check over so there are probably a lot of errors and mistakes. Please excuse those, I just wanted to get this up so you guys wouldn't have to wait any longer.

THIS IS IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ THE END NOTES AT THE END OF THE FIC! IT IS VERY IMPORTANT! SO IMPORTANT LIKE YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW SO PLEASE READ IT AFTERWARDS!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own YGO.

* * *

-Knowng the Past—

While Yugi did the las of the grocery shopping, the two priests were having their own conversation and a certain one having some thoughts.

"Mahado, how is it that yu know this boy?" Seto asked, looking at Mahado. Mahado just kept looking at Yugi.

"I knew him when we were kids. I'd say around when I was training to become the new priest for the Millennium Ring" Mahado said. Seto raised a slim brow.

"…You went beyond the castle walls?" he asked. Mahado nodded.

"Sheesh…Never thought you would be like my idiot cousin…" Seto sighed.

"For your information, Seto, I'm not" Mahado coughed, slightly annoyed.

"Then how do you explain the likeness of going beyond the castle walls?" Seto asked. Mahado glared at him.

"Just because I go beyond the castle walls doesn't mean I am like the prince" he said.

"Tch, whatever…" Seto said.

"I'm done with the shopping. We can go to my place now" Yugi smiled as he walked back to the three.

"Yugi, can you tell me what has happened these past years?" Mahado asked as they walked to Yugi's home. Yugi was silent.

"Yugi? What's wrong?" Mana asked, bending down while walking. Yugi gave a weak smile.

"I'm fine, Mana-san…I'll tell you later" Yugi said as he reached the front door.

"Grandpa, I'm home!" he called as he opened the door.

"Yugi! Welcome back!" his grandpa smiled as he saw his grandson. He blinked.

"Oho! I see you've some guests!"

"Yeah, I met an old friend and thought we'd talk a bit here" Yugi smiled. Mahado bowed, as a gesture of greeting.

"Now, now…don't be so formal!" Yugi's grandpa said.

"Thank you for letting us enter your home" Mahado said, making both Mana and Seto bow as well. Seto growled. 'So that bow wasn't just for greeting! The damn cocky little bastard! He was chanting too!' he thought.

"Yeah, thanks Grandpa!" Mana said.

"Mana!" Mahado smacked her on the head.

"Ow!"

"No need to worry! It's fine!" Yugi's grandpa laughed.

"I'm very sorry…please forgive her rudeness sir" Mahado bowed.

"Please, call me Sugoroku"

"Grandpa, yiou shouldn't be out of bed" Yugi said worriedly. Sugoroku just laughed.

"Hahahaha! I'm as fit as ever! There's no need to worry!" he said. He did a few exercises with his arm(as in bending to the side with one arm on the hip and the other arm at least above the head).

"OW! My back!" he howled.

"Grandpa!" Yugi sighed.

"I'm…alright…" Sugoroku said and walked into the kitchen to find something that may help his back.

"He's very nice" Mahado smiled.

"The only nice person left in this house" Yugi sighed. The three looked at him, confused.

"YUGI!"

Yugi cringed while the three guests slightly jumped, 10 feet in Mana's case. They looked to see a girl with shoulder length brown hair and ble eyes coming down the stairs and stopping in the middle of the staircase.

"Where were you?! What are you mjust standing there for?! Go and do your chres!" Anzu said. Yugi flinched. Mahado looked at Yugi, concerned and confused.

"A-Anzu…" Yugi said. Anzu blinked, noticing the three guests. She giggled.

"Oh my…That was embarrassing…Where are my manners? I'm Anzu…" she seductively smiled while blinking flirtatiously. Seto shivered, eye twitchying now and then. Mahado was just himself, surpressing a shiver. Mana looked at her master and glared at Anzu. Yugi mentally scoffed. 'She never ahd any manners to begin with' he thought.

"Yugi! What are you just standing there for? Go and welcome our guests!" Anzu said. Yugi glared at her.

"They're my friends…" he hissed. Anzuscoffed.

"Don't be ridiculous…You have no friends" she said.

"Yugi!"

Anzu, Yugi, Mahado, Mana, and Seto turned to see another girl walking to the stairs. She had wavy blonde locks, her bangs similar to Yugi's in a way, and had a slightly darker shade of amethyst etyes. She stopped and loked at the four. She greeted thekm with a nod.

"Hey, the name's Mai" she introduced herself.

"What great timing, sister. Come, let us make our guests feel comfortable. Yugi! What are you just standing there foir?! Go and make our guest something to drink and eat!" Anzu said. Yugi fklinched and gloared at her. Just as he was about to protest, the person he least expected beat him to it.

"Anzu, leave him be…They're his guests so let him do what he wants" Mai said. Yugi's already wide eyes went slightly wider. Anzu looked at Mai, bewildered.

"What are you saying Mai?!" she asked.

"Yugi, you can go with your guests" Mai said. Anzu was glaring at her by this time. Yugi just motioned the others to fopllow him and went up thje staiors. He passed both of his stepsisters, not looking at either of them.

"Yugi! Where do you think you're going?!" Anzu hissed.

"Leave him Anzu" Mai said. Yugi was by this point confused. Mai had just defended him twice! Anzu glared at Mai.

"We're going to be having a little chat about something, Mai" were the last words Yugi heard before he was out of earshot while goingn up the staris to his room with the others shortly behind him. Once they were in his room, he shut the door, moving his weight so he was leaning against the door.

"Yugi…when did you sleep here?!" Mahado asked, bewildered.

"I'll admit it's neat and all but making him live in this area is just…crap" Seto said, looking around.

"Poor Yugi!" Mana said. Yugi sighed.

"You might as well make yourselves comfortable with what little items to sit on…it's going to be a long story…" he said, going over and sitting on his bed, making it slightly creak by his weight pressing on the mattress. Thethree made themselves comfortable and looked at Yugi, telling him tht he could continue. Yugi sighed.

"Well…My dad married another woman shortly after you left, I'd say about 3-4 days after I guess… My soon-to-be-mother had two daughters, Mai and Anzu who you had seen already" Yugi began.

"So they're you're stepsisters?" Mahado asked. Yugi nodded.

"Things were still a bit fine after dad remarried…Grandpa still lived with us, my stepmom anddad were happy being together…Though Anzu and Mai always did pick on me, though I was picked by Anzu more than Mai. Dad dieda month later after he had remarried. My stepmom was heartbroken as was Grandpa…My stepmom died shortly after dad had gone and that's when I began to lose everything and ended up in the position that I am now…When my stepmom was gone, Anzu and Mai took everything away from me, one by one…And when every one of my possession was at least gone, they made me sleep here for they kicked me out of my own room…Grandpa couldn't do anything to stop them, for they would always shove him or something, and because of his old age, he couldn't really take them…Then I was reduced to being a servant to ateend their every need…And well, now you see me here" Yugi gestured to himself.

"That wasn't very long…it was actually quite short" Mana said. Seto glared at her.

"You're not making this anymore easier amateur" he said. Mana glared at him.

"Yugi, Anzu mentioned that you didn't have any friends…That's not the whole story isn't it?" Mahado asked. Yugi was silent for a while.

"That's not all…Anzu assumes that I don't have any friends…I have friends who are just like me…" Yugi said.

"You mean having two evil bitches of a stepsister and being their servant?" Seto asked.

"Seto!" Mahado looked a bit annoyed at him.

"What?" Seto ooked at Mahado. Yugi sweated.

"N-No…My friends have sisters but they're blood related…" he said.

"So all of you have sisters?" Mana asked. Yugi nodded.

"Care to tell us about their lives?" Mahado asked. Yugi looked hesitant.

"Well…To start, I have three friends, all male…They're Jonouchi, Ryou, and Marik…Jonouchi has an abusive and drunk father…His mother and sister, Serenity, moved away, leaving Jonouchi with his father. He gets hit a lot so you can see many gashes, cuts and bruises on him…Oh Ra, it was just too gruesome!" Yugi sobbed, clear tears forming into his wide innocent amethyst eyes.

"He would always just grin whenever we got worried. He's glad that it wasn't Serenity that got hurt…He and Serenity write to each other often, but today he told us that her writing was getting a bit messier…Serenity was also our friend so we worry about her at times…Then there's Ryou. He kind of has it easier than the rest of us. His sister is Amane…They're kind of like twins…But the problem is she gets sick very easily so that's why she mostly stays in bed. Their father is barely home, leaving Ryou to do everything…His mother died when he was little. Ryou is almost like the mother and maid, doing everything…He also gets sick easily but not as much as Amane. And then there's Marik. His father is also abusive and sometimes gets drunk. Marik gets hit and abused as well, probably as much as Jonouchi. He has an older sister, but she's a high priestess." Both Mahado and Seto's eyes widened and they looked at each other.

"He also had an older brother, Odion. They weren't bloodrelated…Odion was adopted, but they acted as though they were actually related. When Ishizu, his sister, wasn't around, Odion would always keep him company. When Marik was supposed to get beaten or was about to be beaten, Odion would always try to take the beatings. But…on that day…the beating was too serious and reopened a few of his old wounds…I can still remember that day as if it were yesterday…Odion died because of the beatings and the wounds…Ryou, Jonouchi, and I comforted Marik till he fell asleep…Ishizu didn't know about it because she was at the palace being a high priestess…That was the last time Marik cried…Marik endured all the beatings but never shedded a tear…We never brought the subject about his past and Odion after the incident…But we act like we've moved on…" Yugi slightly smiled. Mahado and Seto loked at each other then at Yugi.

"Yugi…would Marik's last name happen to 'Ishtar'?" Seto asked. Yugi blinked, a bit shocked.

"Y-Yes…How did you know?" Seto and Mahado looked at each other again.

"Yugi…We know Ishizu…the very same sister that is Marik's relative…She's a high priestess at the palace…as we are" Mahado said. Yugi gasped.

"Y-You're…both a high priest?" The two older males nodded.

"Mana-san, you too?" Mana blinked and laughed while shaking her hand.

"No, not me! I'm Mahado's apprentice, a magician in traingning!" she said.

"And an amateur at that" Seto said. Mana glared at him.

"Shut up! Would you like me to bestow something on you again?"

"You never bestowed anything on me…You bestowed it on Mahado" Mana blushed, recalling the previous incident. Mahado sighed.

"Mahado…Why didn't you tell me that you were going to be a high priest?" Yugi asked.

"If I did, would you still act the same as you are now?" Yugi looked down at the floor.

"I thought so" Mahado sighed.

"But…if you're a high priest, then why didn't anyone bow to you?" Yugi asked. In the town, everyone bowed to the highers that resided in the palace out of respect.

"Because of these" Seto said, taking out a golden rod with two ax-like things on the side and an eye in the center of the sphere. Unknown to Yugi, underneath the small golden shaft at the bottom was a dagger attached to the rod.

"What is that?" Yugi asked, looking at the golden object.

"It's called the Millennium Rod. There are seven Millennium Items in all and all six high priests as well as the king own one item" Seto explained.

"Then do you have one, Mahado?" Yugi asked, looking at the other male. Mahado nodded and lifted a golden ring with five golden spikes and had a triangle in the ring and the same eye in the center of the triangle.

"Mine is called the Millennium Ring" Mahado said.

"What are the others called?"

"The others are the Millennium Key, the Millennium Scale, the Millennium Eye, the Millennium Necklace, and the Millennium Puzzle. Ishizu wields the Millennium Necklace. The Millennium Puzzle is probably the most sacred of the seven by far, for it is the signal that the person or heir is now the king" Seto said.

"What does it do?"

"My item can sense other Millennium items; Seto's can contrl other people's minds; Ishizu's can look into the past and future, though when it pops up is unpredictable; the Key can see into people's soul; the Scale weighs the evilness in the person, the Eye can read other people's mind; the Puzzle…well…in truth we don't know what the Puzzlle can do…None, not even the king, knows its powers…" Mahado said. Yugi shivered at some of the item's abilities.

"Don't worry. We don't use it on citizens without a reason, though we can probably use it on the amateur over there" Seto said. Mana glared at him.

"Hey!"

"But…what are you guys doing here?" Yugi asked. Mahado and Seto sighed.

"Well…Our prince wanted to come outside…" Mahado said, placing a hand on his forehead.

"He was too fucking bored and wouldn't shut the fuck up…" Seto groaned.

"Seto! Watch your language!"

"Ah, shut up! I'll curse if I have to!" Mahado and Seto glared at each other. Yugi sweated.

"Ano…Mahado…If you're worried about me hearing swears and curses, I'm kind of used to it…" Yugi said. Mahado looked at him, bewildered.

"You mean you hear it all the time?!" he asked. He couldn't believe it. Someone as innocent and pure as Yugi hearing curses all the time?!

"Well…You can say that" Yugi said, slightly sweating.

"And praytel, where do you hear them?"

"From Marik and Jonouchi" Yugi answered, blinking. Mahado's head hung low.

"Ne, is it possible for us to see your friends?" Mana asked. Yugi looked hesitant.

"Well…I'm not exactly sure…The group doesn't take strangers or other people too well…We're not used to other people joining our group…The last one that joined our group was Odion…" Yugi lowered his eyes. "After that incident, we never had anyone else joining us when we meet…"

"Are you guys going to meet later?" Mahado asked. Yugi nodded.

"Yes, in a few more minutes."

"Is 'Amane' also part of your group?" Seto asked. Yugi nodded again.

"Yes, but she rarely meets with us because of her…well, problems…"

"Yugi, take us with you…please…I want to know what has happened while I was gone. I want to help you guys, if possible" Mahado said. Yugi was silent for a while.

"…Alright…" he said after a few seconds. "But, please excuse any hostility or any toher rude behavior that Marik and/or Jonouchi should show, as they don't trust people they don't know too well…"

At that statement, Mana and Mahado looked at Seto. Seto glared at them.

"What?" he snapped.

* * *

The group met at the same alley they had met a few minutes ago. The only ones who were there were Marik, Jonouchi, and Ryou. The albino would from time to time look at the opening to see when Yugi would appear. Jonouchi sighed, leaning against the wall.

"Ryou, relax…Sheesh, yer such a worrywart…" he yawned. "It wouldn' come as a surprise to me if ya became a mother…"

"Jonouchi!" Ryou blushed and glared weakly at the blonde. Marik snickered.

"You're so motherly, Ryou" Ryou turned his glare to Marik.

"Marik, shut up…" The taneed boy just snickered again.

"But it's true! You're like a motherhen, man!" Ryou's blush deepened.

"Well, someone has to watch out for the group…And you two always make so much mischief who knows what would happen if caused another commotion" Ryou sighed. This time it was Marik and Jonouchi's turn to glare at the albino.

"Hey!"

"Guys?" The three boys turned their heads to see Yugi's head popping out bhind the corner.

"Yugi?" Ryou blinked.

"Yug'! You're finally here! Ryou here was being such a worried mother again" Jonouchi joked, grinning and pointing to the albino. Ryou blushed and glared at the blonde again. Marik grinned.

"So what's up?" he asked. Yugi bit his bottom lip as he slightly shifted behind the corner. Ryou blinked, noticing his friend's nervousness.

"Yugi? What's wrong?" he asked. Yugi became even more nervous.

"Um…I-I brought some of my friends here…Is that ok?" he slowly asked. The others blinked, surprised. Jonouchi and Marik got a bit wawry. Marik's lavender eyes shlightly narrowed.

"Who?"

Yugi shifted once again and came out into the open. He went in to the alley and looked behind him.

"Um…One of my childhood friend and his friends…" he said. Three people came out behind a corner and entered into the shadowed alley. Marik, upon seeing them, narrowed his eyes even more and every nerve and muscle in his body was alert and tight. Jonouchi slightly glared at them and was on guard, just in case. Ryou looked a bit worried and slightly stiffened. Yugi looked nervously between the two groups. The aura was tense and he was afraid that a battle might break out. Ryou looked to Yugi.

"Yugi…" The mentioned boy gave a weak and nervous smile to the albino. Ryou was also worried about the outcome of this…meeting.

"W-Well…let's introduce everyone, shall we?" Yugi weakly asked. What a great way to ease the tension…Note the sarcasm in there.

"These are my friends that I talked to you about…This is Ryou" Yugi said, motioning to the fragile and pale albino.

"This is Marik" He motioned to the tanned boy with the shoulder-length platinum blonde hair.

"And this is Jonouchi" He motioned to the slightly tanned boy with messy honey-colored hair.

"Guys, this is Mahado, my childhood friend..." Yugi introduced, motioning to the male with shoulder-length chocolate-colored locks in the front.

"This is Mana-san" he motioned to the only female in the group.

"And this is Seto" he concluded, motioning to the last male with short brown locks.

It was silent for a while. The tension was so thick that you could cut it with a butter knife. Yugi alternated his gaze between the two groups, worrying about the outcome of this meeting. He glanced at Ryou to see that the albino also had the same worried look that he had.

"So, um…" Yugi wrung his hands together nervously. If this continues, he thought he would faint from the tension soon!

"Heya!" Mana smiled widely, finally breaking the tension and silence. "So you're Yugi's friends! Nice to meet ya!"

There was another awkward silence after that. Marik blinked as if snapped out of a trance and shifted, a slightly confused yet still wary look on his face. Jonouchi cocked a brow at the unexpected greeting.

"Uh…sure…" Marik replied, a little unsure of how to respond.

Ryou and Yugi both released a breath that they didn't know they had been holding. Yugi looked between the two parties.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Again, I'm really sorry it took me so long to update this fic but I have an announcement to make concerning this fic.

After this chapter, there will be no more updates for this. Now hold that thought. No, I am not discontinuing this fic, I will finish this as with my other fics unless otherwise stated on my profile. No, I'm not discontinuing this. I am rewriting this fic. I'm redoing everything and basically just restarting. I will be rewriting everything in this fic starting from chapter 1. I looked back and read the previous chapters and I just really didn't like it. I had written this fic when I was starting to write fanfiction and so my works sounded a little childish(?) and amateurish (I'm not saying I'm a pro at writing now as I'm really not but I'd like to think that my writing's improved a bit than when I first started) and obviously I didn't see anything wrong with it back then. However, after looking back on this fic, I just didn't like the outcome. I didn't like how I typed, I didn't like how I wrote this, I made a lot of the characters OOC, everything just seemed wrong and bad and I just really want to redo everything.

Yes I know, I took a lot of years to finish this chapter and now that I've updated, I'm here saying that everything will be rewritten. Yes, again I am sorry that I took so long. I know there's no excuse for my "laziness" and lack of updates but I do also have a real life. As much as I would want to keep writing and update my fics everyday, I can't. Right now, I'm in college and I have classes and I also have to go work when I'm not in class. Also add on to the fact that I have other things that I need to work on like my art, my projects, my cosplay, etc. And I'm just really stressed with a lot of things and right now I'm having family problems as well.

Again, I know I can't justify myself in terms of the lack of updates and once again I am terribly sorry to have kept you all waiting for so long. I also want to thank you guys for sticking with my sorry ass for so long. I love all your guys' reviews and I really appreciate them. Your reviews are a part of what keeps me motivated to continue. So I really appreciate them all.

So, I hope you have enjoyed this fic while it lasted and I hope you look forward to the new and revised version of "A Dream is a Wish." I will try and post the revised version of this fic as soon as I can and I'll also try to update all of my other fics and see if I can update on a regular basis. I can't guarantee or promise anything, but I will try my best to get things out.

Once I've posted the revised version up, I will let you all know by stating to go to the new fic in here, either as a new "chapter" or in the summary section. With that, this fic is now complete and closed, with the curtains falling down to signal the end of the show.


End file.
